Partial transcript of remarks by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on the failure to pass the gun legislation (S. 649). The press briefing was held on April 17, 2013:

I just want to thank my friend and colleague Sen. [Joe] Manchin, Sen. [Pat] Toomey. I want to acknowledge the Republicans who stepped forward. It showed extraordinary courage on their part, including my colleague Mark Kirk of Illinois, Sen. Toomey, as has been mentioned, Sen. [Susan] Collins, Sen. [John] McCain. Those names need to be placed on the record as 4 who stood up for sensible gun safety laws in America.

I think Joe Manchin put it well. The parents who’ve come here and the family members have found courage in their grief to step up and ask to spare another victim. We need to find courage – political courage – in our disappointment with this vote today. This is not the end. Those of us who know our form of government know it is not the end.

There is more that we can do and will do – reaching out to convince those members who voted the other way today and perhaps in the next election to challenge them, to bring the forward to the American people that this is worth a fight.

We’ve got to stand up to bring sensible gun safety to America. God forbid what tomorrow’s victim is going to be. We know it’s going to be there and we have to do everything we can to spare another family from this grief.